Owner/President: Kay A. Saunders Chief Operating Officer: Jami Henry Company: Bellewether, Ltd. Address: 4141 NE Lakewood Way, Ste. B Lee’s Summit, MO 64064 Phone: (816) 554-9400 E-mail: Web Site: www.bellewether.com Type of Business: Organizational Consulting Firm Year Founded: 1994
Bellewether is a full-service organizational consulting firm. We make businesses better, by providing gap analysis (identifying holes between where you are and where you want to be), assessments (leadership, work style, personality and team evaluations), document management solutions (to protect, streamline and archive data), technical writers, facilitation services, and training design, development and delivery.
Our flagship product, Human Asset Imaging, teaches foundational skills that allow both entry-level personnel and managers to learn how to successfully negotiate the pathways of the workplace.
We work with call centers of all industries as well as healthcare, government and educational organizations to discover retention strategies, and to assist employees in understanding and applying appropriate workplace behavior.
Personal Wealth If fiscal independence is a quintessential aspect of the great American dream, it is certainly so for the principals of Bellewether, Ltd. We believe that being in business has already made significant starts to that end, but ultimately it is the long-term investment in the company that will secure our future.
Last month Bellewether, Ltd. turned nine years old, and we have created wealth that extends far beyond money to include a wealth of wonderful relationships, a wealth of knowledge, a wealth of experience and a wealth of opportunity. Community Wealth Over the last nine years, Bellewether has grown and contracted according to economic opportunities and business need. Employee salaries have always exceeded national averages, and as a small business, we have looked for creative ways to provide benefits and perks, both to full-time and contractual associates. To that end, we have established health plans and SIMPLE matching contribution retirement plans where Bellewether contributes up to 3 percent of the employee contribution. We are always looking for ways to enhance our own workplace culture and to provide our associates with opportunities to continue their own educational process.
We have made it our goal to create long-term relationships with vendors, suppliers and contractors who provide excellent products and services that ultimately meet the needs of both Bellewether, and the clients we serve. These relationships create opportunities to build community wealth by supporting other small businesses. Social Wealth There is never a shortage of opportunities to give back to the community. The challenge is to find the right balance of outside interests to which you can effectively give time, talent and treasure. Early in our business life, Bellewether co-sponsored two charity golf tournaments generating thousands of dollars for a local, non-profit organization in the Kansas City community. Over the years, we have provided educational scholarships to organizations such as the Kansas City Adult Basic Education program so that graduates can continue their life-long learning process. We have made many “treasure” donations to schools, community-based organizations and even individuals.
In addition, we have contributed many hours of service (both professional and personal) to various non-profit organizations in Kansas City. We try to give back wherever possible and believe strongly in the principles of abundant living—meaning that which you give, ultimately comes back to you.
We believe that the time and talents we share are really our own gifts from God. It begins first with His call and then our response to it.
In the end, how can any of us enjoy our wealth, if it is not shared? It is a mistake to confuse wealth with money. In light of recent economic conditions, many in our community may not feel they have surplus money to share, but all of us have something we are uniquely qualified to give to each other. Path to Business Ownership After more than 15 years of selling in commercial business with companies such as IBM, Digital Equipment Corporation, and Jostens Inc., I set out to find my own path in life.
In June 1994, I established Bellewether, Ltd. with money I’d earned from past sales, and a new distributor contract with Jostens Learning. Bellewether started in the basement office of my house. One year after Bellewether was founded, Jami Henry officially joined the organization as vice president.
Financing Bellewether has been both challenged and blessed with financing opportunities. Early on, we self-financed the operational expenses and cash flow through sales. Living off of what you grow is basically the organic approach to building a business. The good side of it is that there is little debt. The downside is there is only so much you are able to do, and cash flow can become a huge issue.
In 1995, when Jami joined the firm, she added a wealth of experience and talent that helped land an account with Sprint, which enabled us to pursue more growth. Our original strategy of reinvesting profits back into the company has not changed, because this investment allows us to continually produce new products and better solutions.
In 1996, with a desire to create and develop a product, we looked for financing opportunities. Much to our frustration, financial institutions could not see the tangible product we had in mind, and were therefore reluctant to contribute.
With a boatload of faith and what financial resources we had managed to save, we financed the product development effort ourselves. After a year and a half, we launched our now flagship product and the first sale enabled us to pay most of the development costs. Support Systems If you want it, support is everywhere. We have found support from our customers and peers, who look at what we’re doing and want to help us grow. We have experienced support from community resources, including Rockhurst University, the Small Business Administration, the Minority Supplier Council, the Kauffman Foundation, the UMKC Procurement Assistance Center, the Runner’s Club, peer-to-peer groups and from organizations like the Kansas City Small Business Monthly, which serves as an incredible resource for our business community.
We have experienced support in both tangible and intangible forms. Those who help support every small business owner are repeat customers who appreciate the added service and customer care.
Support also comes from employees who look beyond expectations to become real contributors to the organization. And, support comes from suppliers who accept late payments during periods of sluggish cash flow, believing in you and knowing that this is not your preferred cash management strategy.
Support comes from individual mentors, who see the spark of hope in your eyes and give you the best advice they have or just sit with you and allow you to process.
And most assuredly, support comes from family and friends, who pick you up, dust you off and restore your confidence while you struggle to compete and grow. Greatest Challenge It has been said, the greatest gift you can give yourself is to get out of your own way! In many ways, we believe that we are both the greatest assets and the greatest challenge to the success of this organization. We did not come to the table with all the business knowledge we need to be successful. Nor did we come having with all the experiences we would need to accomplish our goals. We had to be willing to continually learn. We can always say “that” is limiting us or “this” is standing in our way, but at the end of the day, it is what we believe about ourselves, our ability to succeed and our desire to continue to learn that will either challenge us or propel us to reach our greatest good. Our greatest advice is to get out of your own way. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you make mistakes, forgive yourself and try again. Learn from your experience and strive to be better. Even one step forward is progress.
